Rotary-rod weeder



July, 13,1926. 1,592,545

L. C. VAN PATTEN ROTARY ROD WEEDER Original Filed Sept. 30 1925 6 v i6 i ATTORNEY Patented July 13, 1926 UNITED STATES LOUIS C. VAN PATTEN, 0F CHENEY, WASHINGTON.

ROTARY-ROD WEEDER.

Original application filed September 30, 1925 Serial No. 59,609. Divided and this application filed February 17, 1926. Serial No. 88,869.

The invention generally relates to rotary rod weeders of the type wherein a rod of polygonal cross section is moved forwardly and rotated beneath the surface of the soil to cut and macerate weeds.

The said invention has for its object to provide a weeder of the type stated which is of particularly simple and compact structure having a single beam frame so positioned relatively to the rotary rod and the power transmission or driving head devices, as to provide for increased leverage facilitating controlling of the function and depth of penetration of said rotary rod.

The invention also comprehends features of construction and arrangement of the driving head devices contributing to the advantages above outlined and to the durability of the weeder.

The present application is a division of my application filed September 30, 1925 Serial No. 59,609, and has for its particu- Ear object to cover specifically the oonstruction shown in the modification Figure 5 of that application.

lVith the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the invention further resides in the novel details of'con struction, combination and arrangement of parts all of which will be first fully described, then be particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the driving head carrying end of the weeder.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the driving head carrying end of the weeder.

Figure 4 is a front elevation of the invention.

In my present invention I provide a single frame beam 1 to which is secured, to extend rearwardly therefrom, the usual balancing board 2. To the bottom face at each end of the beam 1 is secured a pair of depending relatively long-stemmed brackets 3.

The brackets 3 at one end of the frame serve to provide bearing for the stub shaft 4 which carries the supporting wheel 5, while those at the opposite end of the frame serve as a supporting or securing means for rigidly holding the non-rotatable support or shaft 6 on which the driver wheel 7 is rotatably mounted.

A plurality (four being shown) of angle irons 8 are secured to the bottom face of the beam 1 and extend rearwardly therefrom to serve as means for mounting the goose-neck standards 9.

Any of the common types of bearing shoes 10 may be removably secured, as at 11, to the lower end of the standards 9. The usual rotatable rod bearing members carried by the bearings are indicated at 12 and the rotary rod supported by the bearings is indicated at 13.

.Itwill be observed that the driver wheel 7 is mounted at the end, just outside of the frame beam 1. I

Bearing-members 37 secured to the front face of the outermost one of the vertical standards 16 are supported by the extended end of the shaft 6, and a pair of bearing members 20 are secured to the rear faces of the vertical standards 16 and serve as a bearing medium for the countershaft 21.

Pinions 2223 are mounted respectively on the driver wheel hub sleeve 3a and the shaft 21 and adapted to mesh to impartthe rotary motion of the driver wheel 7 to the countershaft 21.

A sprocket 2a is also secured upon the count-ershaft 21.

A pair of bearing members 25 are preferably secured upon the top surfaces and adjacent the rear ends of the feet 18 and serve as a bearing medium for the driven shaft 26 to which rotary motion is adapted to be imparted from the countershaft 21 by reason of the sprocket 27 mounted on the said shaft 26 and over which and the sprocket 24 on the shaft 21 takes the transmission chain 28. i

A universal bearing head 29 is secured upon the inner end of the driven shaft 26 and is suitably connected to the universal bearing head 30 secured upon the adjacent end of the rotary rod 13 through the medium of the tumbler rod 31.

Thus, as the weeder is drawn across the field, the wheel 7, rolling upon the ground, will impart rotation through the gears 22 and 23, countershaft 21 shaft 26 and connection 31 to the rotary rod.

The vertical bearing arms 16 are secured to and carried by the bearing members 37 and the turned back horizontal feet 18 thereof, may have the rear ends thereof rigidly secured to a brace 40 having the inner end thereof extended over and secured to the adjacent rearwardly extended angle iron 8.

By providing the relatively long-stemmed brackets for supporting the wheels 5 and 7 just outside of the ends of the frame beam 1 it is possible to make those wheels of relatively small diameter. This permits a shortening of the leverage provided by the relation of the axes of the rotary rod 13 and the shaft 6 as compared to that provided by the balancing board 2. Thus greater leverage and a moredelicate control of the penetration of the rotary rod by change of position of the operator upon the balancing board is provided.

Also by constructing and arranging the driving head as stated, a more compact and efficiently operating weeder structure is provided than has heretofore been devised. The particular driving head disclosed eliminates the necessity of complicated hinged parts and other devices which might readily get out of order and the positioning thereof provides a device in which the rotary rod is substantially the whole width of the weeder, thus greatly compacting the device and eliminating Waste of space.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it is thought the novel details of construction, manner of operation and the advantages of my invention will be readily apparent tothose skilled in the art to which it relates.

What I claim is: 1. A device of the class described comprising a frame beam, bearings depending from each beam end, supporting wheel supported by the bearings at one end of the beam, a balancing board extending rearwardly from the beam, supporting bars extending rearwardly from the beam, standards depending from the supporting bars, bearings carried by the standards, a rotary rod carried'in the bearings behind and just beyond the peripheries of the wheels, a driving head secured to the other end of the'frame to impart rotary motion to the rotary rod, said driving head including a shaft rigidly secured in the bearings at the other end of the beam and extending outwardly therefrom, a driver wheel rotatably mounted on the shaft and including an extended driver sleeve, vertical standards secured to the extended end of the shaft and including horizontal feet means for bracingsaid feet, a driven shaft supported by the horizontal feet and connected by universal joints and tumbler rod with the rotary rod, and power transmission devices for imparting rotary motion from the driver shaft sleeve to the driven shaft.

2. A device of the class described comprising a frame beam, bearings depending from each beam end, supporting wheel supported by the bearings at one end of the beam, a balancing board extending rearwardly from the beam, supporting bars extending rearwardly from the beam, standards depending from the supporting bars, bearings carried byithe standards, a rotary rod carried in the bearings behind and just beyond the peripheries of the wheels, a driving head secured to the other end of the frame to impart rotary motion to the rotary rod, said driving head including a shaft rigidly secured in the bearings at the other end of the beam and extending outwardly therefrom, a driver wheel rotatably mounted on the shaft and including an extended driver sleeve, vertical standards secured to the extended end of the shaft and including horizontal feet,a driven shaft supported by the horizontal feet and connected by unversal joints and tumbler rod with the rotary rod, power transmission devices for imparting rotary motion from the driver shaft sleeve to the driven shaft, and a brace secured to the horizontal feet and one rearwardly extending supporting bar.

3. A device of the class described comprising a transverse beam, a balancing board extending rearwardly therefrom, members mounted 011 the beam and extending rearwardly therefrom and including standards, bearings carried by the standards, a rotary rod journalled in the bearings, means for supporting one end of the beam above the ground, a support, means for rigidly mounting said support at the other end of said beam, said support including a non-rotatable shaft member and a frame member, a driver wheel rotatably mounted on the shaft iember and having a hub, a driven shaft mounted on said frame member, power transmitting connections between the hub of said driver wheel and said driven shaft, and a driving connection between said driven shaft and said rotary rod.

i. A device of the class described comprising a transverse beam, a balancing board extending rearwardly therefrom, members mounted on the beam and extending rearwardly therefrom and including standards, bearings carried by the standards, a rotary rod journalled in the bearings, means for supporting one end of the beam above the ground, a support rigidly secured at the other end of said beam and comprising a shaft member and a frame member, a driver wheel rotatably mounted on the shaft memher, said driver wheel havinga hub provided with a driving gear, a countershaft mounted on said frame member and having a gear meshing with said driver wheel gear, a driven shaft, and power transmitting connections between said driven shaft and said rotary rod and between said driven shaft and said countershaft.

5. A device of the class described comprising a transverse beam, a balancing board extending therefrom, standards mounted on the beam, a rotary rod journalled in bearings on said standards, a shaft rigidly secured to one end of said beam and extending laterally therefrom, a driver wheel journalled on said shaft, a support secured to the outer end of said shaft and braced to said beam, a driven shaft mounted on said support and operatively connected with said rotary rod, power transmitting connections from said driver wheel to said driven shaft, and means for supporting the other end of said beam.

6. A device of the class described comprising a transverse beam, a balancing board extending therefrom, standards mounted on the beam, a rotary rod journalled in bearings on said standards, a shaft rigidly secared to one end of said beam and extending laterally therefrom, a driver wheel journalled on said shaft, a support secured to the outer end of said shaft and braced to said beam, a driven shaft mounted on said support and operatively connected with said rotary rod, power transmitting connections from said driver wheel to said driven shaft, and means for supporting the other end of said beam, said power transmitting conections including a driving gear mounted to turn with said driver wheel, counter-shaft gear connected with said driver wheel gear, a driven shaft connected with said rotary rod, and a sprocket and chain drive between said countershaft and said driven shaft, said countershaft and said driven shaft being mounted on said support.

LOUIS C. VAN PATTEN. 

